The Photo Issue: The Real Americana

These images capture a joy, pride and love of a country that speak to the true American spirit.

In Andre Wagner’s single image of a Black child gripping a small, wrinkled American flag in one hand while the other rests pensively on her chin, Wagner tells the complicated story of America. That Star-Spangled Banner is crumpled, as if it has been rolled up in a pocket, tucked away, its usefulness uncertain but nonetheless protected. This child, with the decorative beads in her cornrows, is dwarfed by the adults who stand on either side, by the enormous backpack, by the meat counter in the background. Her expression is sober, as if she’s considering weighty matters. A child with the brooding demeanor of an adult. A complicated child. An American child. A Black American.